Denmark Vesey House
Historic house in South Carolina. Built 1850. Added to the National Register in 1976, and a National Historic Landmark.
What it is
Commonly known as the Denmark Vesey House, the house located at 56 Bull Street in Charleston, South Carolina was for a long time thought to be the house once inhabited by black abolitionist Denmark Vesey. Vesey's home, listed as 20 Bull Street under the city's former numbering system, is now evidently gone. A nearby home, most likely built in the 1820s and currently numbered 56 Bull Street, was thought in the 1970s to have been the home of Denmark Vesey, and it was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1976 by the Department of Interior. Vesey was hanged on July 2, 1822, and his body was never found. Despite these findings, the house has continued to be listed as a National Historic Landmark and is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
The record
| Register name | Vesey, Denmark, House |
| Property type | Building |
| Address | 56 Bull St., Charleston, SC |
| County | Charleston County |
| Listed | May 11, 1976 |
| Listed for | Black heritage |
| Level of significance | National |
| Reference number | 76001698 |
| Built | 1850 · more from the 1850s |
| Type of place | house |
| Designations | National Historic Landmark |
| Contributing resources | 1 building |
The nomination form, the document that argues why this place matters, is in the National Archives: Read the nomination ↗
Visiting
| Address | 56 Bull St., Charleston, SC |
| Coordinates | 32.7823° N, 79.9410° W · Directions ↗ |
| Also in Charleston | 111 listed places in Charleston → · walking tours → |
| Nearest national park unit | Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park · 4 miles · on Park Atlas |
| Federal campgrounds nearby | Buck Hall Recreation Area 28 miles |
Explore
Map
Nearby in Charleston County
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.jpg/960px-William_Blacklock_House_(Charleston).jpg)
Local history books for Charleston
We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.
The Huguenot Church in CharlestonMargaret Middleton Rivers Eastman and Richard Donohoe & Maurice Eugenie Horne Thompson, 2018Find at Bookshop.org
St. Philip's Church of CharlestonDorothy Middleton Anderson and Margaret Middleton Rivers Eastman, 2015Find at Bookshop.org
Guidebooks to historic places in South Carolina
Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.
Reference
Questions people ask
When was Denmark Vesey House listed on the National Register?
May 11, 1976. It is also a National Historic Landmark, the higher of the two designations.
Source: National Park Service
When was Denmark Vesey House built?
1850.
Source: Wikidata
Where is Denmark Vesey House?
56 Bull St., Charleston, Charleston County, South Carolina. The nearest national park unit is Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park, 4 miles away.
Source: Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park
Where is the nomination form for Denmark Vesey House?
The National Archives holds the nomination form, the document that made the case for listing.
Source: National Archives
Are there campgrounds near Denmark Vesey House?
One federal campground is within reach, Buck Hall Recreation Area, 28 miles away.
Source: Campsite Atlas
Is there cell service at Denmark Vesey House?
FCC coverage maps show Verizon 5G, AT&T 5G, and T-Mobile 5G at the listed point. Coverage indoors and behind old masonry is another matter.
Source: FCC Broadband Map
Is there a wildfire near Denmark Vesey House right now?
1 active incident within 50 miles as of 2026-10-17, nearest C-74 Fm Rx, 30 miles away.
Source: Map
Sources
Location, type and contributing counts come from the National Park Service's National Register spatial data. Listing dates come from the National Register office's spreadsheet where it carries the listing. Construction date, architect, style, photograph and encyclopedia link come from Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons, matched on reference number 76001698. Nothing here is transcribed by hand. The nomination form and photographs ↗ at NPGallery are the original nomination as filed with the National Park Service, and the form is often the best description of the place. The description under "What it is" is the opening of the Wikipedia article, CC BY-SA.